Some people live in a perpetual state of penance. They repeatedly suffer the pain of their mistakes, fearing the future because they are paralyzed by the past. Can you remove the shackles of your past mistakes and move forward?

You, you can, if you try hard enough.

1. When you've made a mistake that gets you down, take out a sheet of paper and write down exactly what happened.

2. Assess why you made the mistake. What were the causes? How many of them were within your control?

3. Think about the problems or pain created by the mistake and who might suffer. What's the worst think likely to happen as a result? Check with someone else; reality usually isn't as bad as your fears would have you believe.

4. Apologize and seek forgiveness quickly from people who may have suffered as a result of your mistake. When they offer forgiveness, accept it with thanks.

5. Recognize the benefits of the mistake. What good has come out of it? If nothing else, you have learned a valuable lesson for your future behavior.

6. Remember that a mistake reflects y our performance in a particular situation under a particular set of circumstances. It is not a statement about you. You have the power to change your performance in the future.